Irish retail sales rise as volume declines

Sales rose 1.5% in value over the past 12 months but declined in volume by 1%, CSO figures show

Bar sales in Ireland jumped 13.5% in volume last month.

Retail sales in Ireland rose by 1.5% over the past 12 months, led by increases in bar sales, clothing and books.

New data from the Central Statistics Office (CSO) for May also shows the volume of retail sales fell by 1% since May 2023, highlighting the continued impact of inflation on spending.

The value of sales dropped by 2% compared to April, while the month-on-month volume also dropped, down 0.6%.

Excluding the motor trades, the value of sales rose by 0.1% in the month and increased by 1.8% on an annual basis.

The largest annual sales declines by volume were in other retail sales, down 6.4%, hardware, paints and glass, down 5.5%, department stores down 4%, and food, beverages and tobacco fell 3.9%.

The sectors with the highest annual volume growth in May were books, newspapers and stationery, up 8.1%, clothing, footwear and textiles up 4.9%, and bars, which saw a 4.5% increase.

The largest monthly volume increases were in bars, up 13.8%, books, newspapers and stationery up 7% and pharmaceuticals, medical and cosmetic articles up 3%.

The CSO said the proportion of retail sales transacted online from Irish registered companies was 4.9% in May compared with 5.6% in April and 5.2% in May 2023.